Name: _____________________________
Properties of ionic and Covalent Bonds
Purpose: Properties such as phase, melting points, and conductivity will be tested in order to discover the types
of bonds household chemicals have.
Pre-Lab:
1. Complete the sentences:
a. Ionic bonds involve the _____________ of electrons.
b. Ionic bonds contain elements that are __________ and _______________.
c. Covalent bonds involve the _______________ of electrons.
d. Covalent bonds contain elements that are _______________ only.
2. Under what conditions will the light bulb light?
3. Do you think pure water light the light bulb? Why?
Procedure: Your teacher will demonstrate several properties of various compounds. As tests are preformed,
record the results in your data table.
Chemical
Salt
Sugar
Oil
Acetone
Baking soda
Starch
Vinegar
Rock Salt
Phase
(S, L, or G?)
Melting point
(ºC)
801
186
-33
-95
50
none
16
772
Conductivity
(Y or N?)
Solubility
(Y or N?)
Aqueous
conductivity
(Y or N?)
Questions:
1. Sodium Chloride is an ionic substance because it contains a metal and a nonmetal. It is not always easy
to determine the types of elements in a compound based on the name. Record other properties of sodium
chloride that were tested, which make it ionic.
2. Based on the properties you listed in question one, record other substances that may be ionic.
3. The substances that are not ionic on this list are covalent. List these chemicals and explain their common
properties.
4. Water is a polar compound because its structure is asymmetrical (it seems that there are two distinct
sides of the molecule). Covalent substances that dissolve in water are also considered polar. Determine
which substances that we tested are polar.
5. The rest of the covalent compounds are non polar. List these substances and explain why they are non
polar.
6. The melting points of the ionic compounds are much higher than those of the covalent compounds.
What does this imply about the strength of ionic and covalent bonds?
7. Explain in terms of particles why ionic compounds can conduct electricity while covalent compounds
cannot.